I stood, fidgeting and uncomfortable when I was a child, wishing we could leave the heat and seemingly mundane service on Public Square in Mount Vernon.

The old men, World War II veterans, reading poems and other tidbits didn't appear excited to be there, either. After what felt like hours, a handful for World War I veterans raised their Great War rifles and fired a few blanks into the air.

At last, it was time for baseball and bratwursts.

I didn't realize until more than 10 years later why those men were so somber on a national holiday: most of them had watched helplessly as their friends' souls slipped into eternity.

Those heroes were no longer standing at a podium in Ohio — their minds returned to the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, and the younger ones felt the ghosts of the Viet Cong lurking around the next bend.

But more importantly, those brave soldiers were remembering the brothers who didn't come home, the ones who died so their children and grandchildren could live in piece on the opposite side of the globe.

It was in Oakwood Cemetery in Bucyrus last Memorial Day that I looked around and realized there are no more Great War veterans among us. In fact, there are fewer and fewer WWII, Korea and Vietnam veterans each year. You should talk to them about their service while you can.

Memorial Day isn't for them, though, so let's stop with the "Happy Memorial Day" business. We observe and remember Memorial Day, we don't celebrate it. It's a day to pay tribute to those soldiers who never came home.

Most forget these days that Memorial Day was first observed as Decoration Day, three years after the end of the American Civil War. Families gathered for reunions, and to decorate the graves of kin who were lost in battle.

If they could speak from their graves, our lost soldiers would likely remind you that it was for your very freedom to enjoy baseball and bratwursts that they gave their lives. I find it fitting, though, to consider the true meaning of the day, at least for a few moments. And if you're remembering it properly, you won't be able to hold back a few tears.